Issa: Ex-IRS exec to testify on tea party scrutiny

WASHINGTON (AP) - A House committee expects to hear firsthand from the former official at the center of what the government has acknowledged was the improper targeting of tea party groups claiming tax-exempt status.

Lois Lerner headed the Internal Revenue Service division that handles applications for tax-exempt status before she retired last year.

Last spring, she made brief comments before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee denying wrongdoing, and then invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer any questions.